This invention relates generally to dental floss dispensers, and more particularly to a highly compact dispenser in a credit card format, making it feasible to conveniently carry the dispenser in a wallet or elsewhere on the person.
In large measure, dental disease is due to the accumulation of bacterial plaque on the teeth and gums. This plaque acts to generate acids which attack the teeth and gums, giving rise to tooth decay and caries, and resulting in periodontal disease. The therapeutic value of dental floss to dislodge debris collected between the teeth and to break up colonies of bacteria that gather near the gum line is well established.
Dental floss generally takes the form of a nylon or cotton string or other suitable filament of synthetic or natural fibers. Usually, the floss is waxed so that as the floss is extruded through a space between the teeth, its passage is lubricated. The advantage of dental floss is that it can traverse hard-to-reach places between the teeth and under bridges that are otherwise inaccessible to toothbrushes or other dental appliances. While toothpicks are sometimes used rather than dental floss, picks tend to impact debris between the teeth rather than to dislodge the debris.
Good dental hygiene requires the use of floss after every meal so that food particles lodging between the teeth are not permitted to remain in these sites. Since the typical dental floss container or dispenser cannot be conveniently carried on the person, it is not as a practical matter possible for most individuals to follow the dictates of good dental practice. Thus while these dispensers may be stored in household bathroom cabinets, an individual who wishes to apply dental floss away from home is faced with the problem of how best to carry a floss container in an inconspicuous manner.
Commercially-available dental floss dispensers are generally of the type disclosed in the Tarrson U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,688. This dispenser includes a box-like container having a reel of dental floss therein which is payed out through a top opening, the container being provided with a cutting blade so that a suitable length of dental floss may be separated from the supply. Because of the three-dimensional bulk of this boxlike dispenser, it cannot be conveniently carried in a clothing pocket or elsewhere on the person.
A somewhat more compact dental floss dispenser is illustrated in the Wells U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,059, in which the floss is wound on a spool rotatably mounted within a wafer-like housing whose outlet is provided with a cutting knife. However, this type of dispenser is not sufficiently compact to be inserted in a wallet or billfold. Other types of dental floss dispensers or holders are disclosed in the Peebles, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,466; the Strock U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,330 and the Rohland U.S. Pat. No. 2,083,398.